Disney Plus at $7? Just take this parent's money already

Disney Plus is the exclusive streaming home of Frozen 2. I have 9- and 8-year-old daughters named Anna and Ella. Do you think I have a choice?

Disney

At my house, every Friday is Family Movie Night. Three kids, aged 9, 8 and 3, take turns choosing the film they want to watch. Or rewatch. Or fight over watching for the fourth time.

Their negotiations often start days before and become more heated as the fateful night approaches. On hearing that the youngest wants to watch Carsagain, his sisters inevitably begin their subtle tugs toward an acceptable substitute, like Coco or Moana.

Sometimes I step in and play arbiter, especially if a movie is available "for free" as part of a subscription. "Kids, Moana isn't on Netflix anymore, so it's $4 to rent. How about Incredibles 2?"

Usually they ignore my thrifty suggestions. "Fine," I think to myself, "it's just $4." A small price to pay for entertainment harmony, and Moana is really good. But I sure would love the option to watch it, and any number of other great Disney movies, as part of an affordable subscription.

What do all these titles have in common? The kids have chosen every single one for Family Movie Night, many of them more than once. A lot of The Princess Diaries went over my 3-year-old's head, but the older girls loved it.

Next time we watch (and rewatch) Dumbo, we'll need Disney Plus.

Disney

We all watched Dumbo in the theater a couple of weeks ago -- to rave kid reviews -- and my girls are already talking about Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4. The oldest is begging me to let her watch Captain Marvel. All four, and more, will be available to stream (without a rental fee, four of Daddy's favorite words) exclusively on Disney Plus.

Beyond movie night there's plenty of other kid fun in the offing. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Duck Tales and Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan are shows my kids know and love. And I'm quite confident they'll enjoy Monsters at Work and Magic of the Animal Kingdom, two exclusive TV series coming to Disney Plus in year one.

The Disney Plus app looks like a one-stop shop for family movie night.

If Disney had priced its service at $13 (the same as Netflix) or even $10, it might be a tougher call. But there's something about $7 that feels just right, at least for my budget. Even if that $7 subscription saves me just one $5 rental fee, it's totally worth it -- in part because Disney Plus has a bunch of other stuff that makes my parental heart twitterpate.

There's unlimited downloads, so I can pack the iPad with movies and TV shows for long car trips, camping and plane rides.

My kids already love (and spend time customizing) avatars and profiles on Netflix and the Disney Now app, so they'll be right at home with Disney Plus' versions.

It's just a matter of time before they're old enough to watch Star Wars and, yes, Marvel -- and paying for those individually really adds up.

The National Geographic stuff is the perfect parental screen time sop. It's educational, right? Sayonara, guilt!

I can have them each kick in $1 every month from their allowances and teach them the value of money. "Clean up or I'm canceling Disney Plus."

My kids love customizing profiles in Netflix. I'm betting they'll have a field day with Disney Plus.

Screenshot by David Katzmaier/Netflix

Seriously, you guys, I'm getting this for my kids

As if all that kid stuff wasn't enough, the Disney Plus fare for grownups helps justify part of that $7.

As it is for many parents, the word Disney for me is synonymous with quality family entertainment. One of our best trips was a visit to Disneyland last summer. My father grew up in Southern California, had a lifetime pass to Disneyland and loved the classic films so much he recorded a bunch to Betamax. We'd sit around watching Robin Hood and Fantasia for my own childhood family movie nights. My kids today understand my job largely with the help of an iconic Goofy short.